Arena Names 18-Man Roster to Face Mexico in Denver on April 3
CHICAGO (Friday, March 29, 2002) - United States Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena has named a 18-man roster to face fellow World Cup finalists Mexico on Wednesday, April 3 in Denver.
March 29, 2002
United States Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena has named a 18-man roster to face fellow World Cup finalists Mexico on Wednesday, April 3 in Denver. Kickoff at Invesco Field is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on Telemundo. Fans can also follow the action live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics.
The U.S. has posted a 6-0-1 record on home soil in 2002, surrendering only one goal in those seven matches. With only an April 17 match against Ireland remaining prior to the roster selection for the FIFA World Cup, the match against Mexico holds an important place in the USA’s preparations for Korea this summer.
"As we move towards finalizing our roster for World Cup, this match is one of the last opportunities to evaluate players and at the same time continue to gauge the progress of our team,” said Arena. “Our MLS players have performed extremely well in 2002 and the match against Mexico provides another important test. Mexico is a fellow World Cup finalist and an opponent we know very well. We are looking forward to the challenge, and are excited to return to Denver.”
As expected, MLS players dominate the 18-man roster. U.S. National Team and MetroStars forward Clint Mathis leads the 16-man contingent. Mathis continues to progress from ACL surgery last June, recording four goals and one assist in his last three matches, including both goals in a 4-2 loss against world powerhouse Germany on Wednesday (March 27). Mathis has notched a point in his last six starts for the United States, dating back to April 25, 2001.
The Chicago Fire contribute the most players to the roster, sending four to face Mexico in Denver. Along with the strikeforce of Josh Wolff and Ante Razov, midfielder DaMarcus Beasley and defender Carlos Bocanegra have earned a recall. Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola holds 97 caps for the United States, the most of any U.S. ‘keeper and just three shy of the coveted century mark. In addition, Meola is the USA’s all-time leader in wins (36) and shutouts (31).
The U.S. and Mexico are no strangers to each other, and own the most notorious rivalry in the region. While Mexico holds a lifetime advantage of 8-28-9, the United States has won three of the last four meetings, including a 2-0 win in Columbus on February 28, 2001, that began the USA’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign. Since 1990, the teams have met 18 times, precisely splitting the games with a 6 wins, 6 losses and 6 ties each. Returning to the Mexican side is flamboyant goalkeeper Jorge Campos, a former member of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chicago Fire of MLS.
The U.S. men return to Denver for a full international friendly for the first time in nearly 10 years, last appearing in a 1-0 loss to Scotland on May 15, 1992. More recently, though, the U.S. played at the original Mile High Stadium on July 13, 1999, defeating English club-team Derby County 2-1 in preparation for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The countdown to the FIFA World Cup continues when the U.S. travels to Dublin for an international friendly against Ireland on Wednesday, April 17. Kickoff at Landsdowne Road is set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and the Futbol de Primera Radio Network. Telemundo will show the match via tape delay at 11:30 p.m. ET & PT.
U.S. Men's National Team Roster | |||||||
Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Caps | Hometown | Club |
| Beasley, DaMarcus | M | 5'7" | 126 | 05/24/82 | 8/1 | Ft. Wayne, Ind. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Bocanegra, Carlos | D | 6'0" | 170 | 05/25/79 | 6/0 | Alto Loma, Calif. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Donovan, Landon | F | 5'8" | 148 | 03/04/82 | 18/4 | Redlands, Calif. | San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
| Hejduk, Frankie | D/M | 5'8" | 155 | 08/05/74 | 36/5 | Cardiff, Calif. | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Howard, Tim | GK | 6'3" | 210 | 03/06/79 | 1/0 | North Brunswick, N.J. | MetroStars (MLS) |
| Jones, Cobi | M | 5'7" | 145 | 06/16/70 | 152/14 | Westlake Village, Calif. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| Llamosa, Carlos | D | 5'11" | 166 | 06/30/69 | 26/0 | Maspeth, N.Y. | New England Revolution (MLS) |
| Maisonneuve, Brian | M | 5'11" | 170 | 06/28/73 | 12/0 | Warren, Mich. | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| Mastroeni, Pablo | D | 5'10" | 170 | 08/26/76 | 7/0 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Colorado Rapids (MLS) |
| Mathis, Clint | M | 5'10" | 170 | 11/25/76 | 17/7 | Conyers, Ga. | MetroStars (MLS) |
| McBride, Brian | F | 6'1" | 170 | 06/19/72 | 57/18 | Arlington Heights, Ill. | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| Meola, Tony | GK | 6'1" | 205 | 02/21/69 | 97/0 | Kearny, N.J. | Kansas City Wizards (MLS) |
| Mulrooney, Richard | M | 5'9" | 160 | 11/03/76 | 3/0 | Memphis, Tenn. | San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
| Pope, Eddie | D | 6'1" | 180 | 12/24/73 | 46/4 | High Point, N.C. | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Razov, Ante | F | 6'1" | 175 | 03/02/74 | 21/6 | Whittier, Calif. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Vanney, Greg | D | 5'11" | 169 | 06/11/74 | 15/0 | Tempe, Ariz. | Bastia (France) |
| West, Brian | M | 5'9" | 155 | 06/10/78 | 6/0 | Columbia, Md. | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| Wolff, Josh | F | 5'8" | 160 | 02/25/77 | 14/4 | Stone Mountain, Ga. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
Team Staff | ||
| Head Coach | Bruce Arena | Fairfax, Va. |
| Assistant Coach | Dave Sarachan | Ashburn, Va. |
| Assistant Coach | Glenn Myernick | Denver |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Milutin Soskic | Bakersfield, Calif. |
| General Manager | Pam Perkins | Evanston, Ill. |
| Athletic Trainers | Jim Hashimoto | Wilmington, Del. |
| Jaime Rojas | Chicago | |
| Doctor | Bert Mandelbaum | Los Angeles |
| Equipment Manager | Aaron Barrett | Chicago |
| Press Officer | Michael Kammarman | Chicago |
